That Petrol Emotion
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| That Petrol Emotion | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Northern Ireland |
| Genre(s) | Rock, alternative rock |
| Years active | 1985-1994 |
| Label(s) | Polydor Virgin Koogat |
| Former members | |
| Steve Mack John O'Neill Raymond Gorman Damian O'Neill Ciaran McLaughlin John Marchini Brendan Kelly |
|
That Petrol Emotion was a Northern Irish, London-based band with an American vocalist called Steve Mack. The band evolved from the Derry Hitmakers and The Undertones. It was formed by guitarist John O'Neill and second guitarist Raymond Gorman. The band was completed by Damian O'Neill (bassist from 1985-1988 then guitarist from 1988-1994) along with drummer Ciaran McLaughlin and bassists John Marchini (1988-1991) and Brendan Kelly (1991-1994). From 1985, the band released a number of singles. Even though they charted seven singles in the UK, they never improved on their first chart hit "Big Decision" in 1987 which reached number 41. They did, however, reach the Top 40 of the UK Albums Chart with the album - Babble. They also reached number 1 in the UK indie charts with their albums Manic Pop Thrill and Fireproof.
The band's sound evolved over the years from John Peel-approved heavy indie rock on Manic Pop Thrill and Babble, to melodic pop rock after John O'Neill's departure on the albums Chemicrazy and Fireproof, via dance and sample experimentation. Many believe that this diversity alienated people in the contemporary scene and so, That Petrol Emotion are considered very much before their time and pioneers for bands such as The Stone Roses, Oasis, Blur and Radiohead[citation needed].
That Petrol Emotion were also renowned for a devastating live performance of tight musicianship and intense playing. They were described by Rolling Stone magazine as "The Clash crossed with Creedence" but their influences range from The Beatles to Television to Wire to Captain Beefheart to Can. They split in 1994.
Seán Ó'Néill (a.k.a. John O'Neill) went on to form the band Rare, while The Undertones reformed in the 2000s for an album, without Feargal Sharkey, on Sanctuary Records. Ciaran McLaughlin and Raymond Gorman still sporadically perform new, original material.
On 26th March 2008 Steve Mack announced that the band were reforming to play at least one concert in the summer. They are scheduled to appear in Ireland's The Electric Picnic in August.
Contents |
[edit] Singles
- "Keen" (Pink Records - 1985)
- "V2" (Noise a Noise Records - 1985)
- "It's A Good Thing" (Demon Records - April 1986)
- "Natural Kind Of Joy" (Demon Records - August 1986)
- "Big Decision" (Polydor Records - April 1987) UK # 43
- "Swamp" (Polydor Records - July 1987)
- "Dance" (Polydor Records - July 1987) UK #64
- "Genius Move" (Virgin Records - October 1987) UK # 65
- "Cellophane" (Virgin Records - September 1988)
- "Abandon" (Virgin Records - March 1990) UK # 73
- "Hey Venus" (Virgin Records - September 1990) UK # 49
- "Tingle" (Virgin Records - February 1991) UK # 49
- "Sensitize" (Virgin Records - April 1991} UK # 55
- "Detonate My Dreams" (Koogat Records - 1993)
- "Catch A Fire" (Koogat Records - 1993)
[edit] Albums
- Manic Pop Thrill (Demon Records - May 1986) UK # 84
- Babble (Polydor Records - May 1987) UK # 30
- End Of the Millennium Psychosis Blues (Virgin Records - September 1988) UK # 53
- Chemicrazy (Virgin Records - April 1990) UK # 62
- Fireproof (Koogat Records - 1993)
- Final Flame - Live at the Grand and the Tivoli Ballroom 1994 (Essential Records - 2000)
[edit] References
- Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 13th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-111-X
